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| United States Patent |
5,089,483
|
|
Tsuda
, et al.
|
February 18, 1992
|
Agent for preservation of timber against decay and termite damage
Abstract
The antidecay and antitermite agent for timber of the invention contains
alkyldimethylamine tetraborate as an effective component; the compound can
be applied as it is or in a form of preparation to the sites where
termites are generated, termitoria, construction members such as pillars,
buildings and soils surrounding the buildings, waterproof sheets, paving
materials and covering materials for wires or cables or the like by such
means as painting, blowing, soaking, injecting, spraying, mixing and
kneading.
| Inventors:
|
Tsuda; Kenji (Himeji, JP);
Ono; Shoichi (Odawara, JP)
|
| Assignee:
|
Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd. (Sakai, JP);
Shokusan Jutaku Sogo Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, JP)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
468128 |
| Filed:
|
January 22, 1990 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
514/64; 424/660; 424/DIG.11 |
| Intern'l Class: |
A01N 055/08; A01N 059/14 |
| Field of Search: |
514/64,663
424/660,DIG. 11
|
References Cited
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 63-101306 | May., 1988 | JP.
| |
| 1098733 | Jan., 1968 | GB.
| |
Other References
Chemical Abstracts (68: 77712v), 1968.
Chemical Abstracts (109: 224732x), 1988.
Chemical Abstracts (111: 133241m), 1989.
|
Primary Examiner: Waddell; Frederick E.
Assistant Examiner: Weddington; K.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fleit, Jacobson, Cohn, Price, Holman & Stern
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of protecting timber from decay and termites, comprising the
step of:
applying thereto a protective amount of an compound having the formula
alkyldimethylamine tetraborate or hydrate thereof having the formula:
##STR2##
wherein R represents an alkyl group having 8 to 12 carbon atoms.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an antidecay and antitermite controlling
agent for timber, which can preserve timber against decay and at the same
time prevent and control termite damage to the timber.
The need of agents for the preservation of timber against decay and those
for the prevention and control of termite damage to timber has become
pressing with the diversification of timber utilization as well as the
change in life style in recent years. For example, under environmental
conditions of housing today, timbers used for foundations or the like are
deteriorated in a short period of time by wood-rotting fungi represented
by Tyromyces palustris, Merulius lacrymans and Coriolus versicolor.
Furthermore, the termite damage to housings and trees has been kent
increasing for these years; the estimated damage in Japan reaches as much
as tens of millions of yen annually. The damage is frequently found in
places with high humidity, such as under the floor, and in a kitchen, a
bathroom and a lavatory. On the other hand, in such places where the
humidity is high, timbers are easily decayed, which in turn makes in turn
the timbers susceptible to the damage by termites. Therefore, preservation
of timber against decay is effective also in terms of controlling damage
by termites; thus antidecay agents and antitermite agents are
indispensable as agents for the preservation of timber.
Known examples of agents conventionally used for preservation of timber
against decay include organic agents, e.g. phenol compounds, organic
halogen compounds, organic tin compounds, naphthenic acid compounds and
tar compounds, and inorganic compounds, e.g. Walman salt compounds (a
mixture of fluoride compounds, chromic compounds and phenols).
However, the conventional organic agents have disadvantages such that they
are strongly toxic to humans and animals and cause irritation and rashes
on the skin, and furthermore they have unpleasant order and stain timbers.
On the other hand, the inorganic agents have to be used at high
concentrations, so that large amounts are needed. Furthermore, some
conventional termite-controlling agents exert adverse effects on human and
animals; for example, CCA agents contain harmful metals or organic
chloride compounds and organic phosphate compounds are strongly toxic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an antidecay and
antitermite agent for the reservation of timber, which is less toxic and
has both antidecay and antitermite effects.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present inventor has
studied in many respects on boric acid and compounds thereof which are
said to have a termite controlling activity but not an antidecay activity,
and thus found that not a metaborate but tetraborate of the
above-mentioned amine is obtained when alkyldimethyl amine reacts with
metaboric acid and that the obtained substance has not only the activity
for controlling termite damage but also the antidecay activity, thereby
completed the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The antidecay and antitermite agent for timber according to the present
invention contains alkyldimethylamine tetraborate represented by the
following general formula or the hydrate thereof as an effective
component.
##STR1##
in the formula, R represents an alkyl group having 8 to 20 carbon atoms.
The agent containing this alkyldimethyl tetraborate or the hydrate thereof
possesses not only an inhibitory effect on the growth of wood-rotting
fungi such as Tyromyces palustris and Merulius lacrymans but also an
insecticide activity to termites such as Reticulitermes speratus.
Examples of alkyldimethylamine comprising the compound of the present
invention include octyldimethylamine, decyldimethylamine,
lauryldimethylamine, tetradecyldimethylamine, cetyldimethylamine and
octadecyldimethylamine.
The compound of the present invention can be obtained by reacting the
above-mentioned amine with metaboric acid, orthoboric acid or tetraboric
acid or the mixture thereof at 140.degree. to 170.degree. C. From a
viewpoint of the reactivity, metaboric acid or orthoboric acid,
particularly metaboric acid, is preferably used.
The compound of the present invention can be used as it is but may
generally be used in a form of emulsion with water or as an oil agent by
dissolving in an appropriate organic solvent. Alternately, it can be used
as a mixture with a water emulsion and a solvent-type paint.
The concentration of the effective component in an agent containing the
compound of the present invention and the amount of the dose of the agent
may be arbitrarily selected depending on the method and the object of the
application, i.e. whether the treatment is on timber or on soil.
However, the ratio of the effective component, alkyldimethylamine
tetraborate, to be practically used is 0.1 to 20% by weight, and 1 to 10%
by weight is particularly effective.
The compound per se or the preparation thereof, according to the present
invention, can be applied to the sites where termites are generated or
termitoria or the materials on which the termite damage has to be
prevented, such as construction members, e.g. foundations and poles,
buildings and surrounding soils thereof, waterproof sheets, paving members
and coating materials for wires or cables, by painting, blowing, soaking,
injecting, spraying, mixing, kneading or by other means.
The compound of the above-mentioned composition can control growth of
wooden-rotting fungi such as Tyromyces palustris, Merulius lacrymans and
Coriolus versicolor and at the same time exerts an insecticidal effect on
termites.
The present invention will be explained in more detail, referring to an
example of preparation and tests for antidecay and antitermite activity
hereinbelow.
A. EXAMPLE OF PREPARATION
Lauryldimethylamine (21.3 grams, 0.1 mole) and metaboric acid (4.4 grams,
0.1 mole) were placed in a three-opening flask equipped with an
evaporating device and a stirrer and heated at 140.degree. to 150.degree.
C. for 1 hour with stirring. About 20 minutes after the onset of the
reaction, the reacting content turns to be a nearly transparent, viscous
solution. Water produced during the reaction was removed outside the
reaction system passing through the evaporating device. After completion
of the reaction, the reaction content was cooled down to room temperature,
stirred with an addition of 200 ml of hexane to extract unreacted amine
and then filtered. Insoluble cakes were crushed in a mortar in a powder
form; 200 ml of hexane was added again and filtration was repeated 2 times
after stirring at about 50.degree. C. for 1 hour. The resulting residue
was dried in air for 1 day and then at 60.degree. C. for 2 hours in vacuo
to obtain lauryldimethylamine tetraborate. Solubility of the
above-mentioned compound in various solvents at 20.degree. C. is shown in
Table 2.
TABLE 1
______________________________________
Reaction product in Example 1
Concentration (%)
Solvent 1 5 10
______________________________________
Water .DELTA. x x
Alcohol .smallcircle.
.smallcircle.
.smallcircle.
Isopropyl alcohol
Ketone
Acetone .DELTA. x x
Methylisobutylketone
x x x
Aromatic groups
Benzene .smallcircle.
x x
Xylene .smallcircle.
x x
Others
Hexane x x x
Chloroform .smallcircle.
x x
Dimetylsulfoxide
.smallcircle.
.smallcircle.
x
______________________________________
In the Table 1, .largecircle. represents very soluble; .DELTA. sparingly
soluble; and .times. insoluble.
B. EXAMPLE OF TEST FOR THE ACTIVITY TO PRESERVE TIMBER AGAINST DECAY
(1) Testing Procedure
1) A cellulose sheet, 2 cm.times.2 cm in size, was soaked in a 5%
lauryldimethylamine tetraborate water emulsion for several seconds and
dried in air for 24 hours and then at 60.degree..+-.2.degree. C. for 1
hour.
2) A molt extract agar medium was dispensed in plates and solidified to use
as a culture medium.
3) Test fungi were inoculated on the surface of each medium at the four
corners; when the fungi sufficiently grow spreading over the medium, the
cellulose sheet soaked with the agents was placed near the center of the
medium.
(2) Results of the Test
Cultivation was carried out at 26.degree..+-.2.degree. C. for 1 week, and
then the cellulose sheet was examined for the growth of the test fungi.
A cellulose sheet without soaking the agents was treated in the same manner
and used as a control.
The results of the test are shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2
______________________________________
Test fungi
Tyromyces Coriolus
palustris versicolor
______________________________________
Control Fungal growth
Fungal growth
Lauryldimethylamine
Entirely no Entirely no
tetraborate fungal growth
fungal growth
______________________________________
C. EXAMPLE OF TESTING THE ANTITERMITE ACTIVITY IN TIMBER
(1) Testing Procedure
1) Timber strips used for the test were sapwood of normal and Pseudotsuga
taxifolia and Tsuga diversifolia, which were cut rectangular and planed
smooth on all the sides (approximately 5).
2) Test timber strips were soaked in a 5% lauryldimethylamine tetraborate
water emulsion for 1 hour and then dried at 60.degree. C. to reach
constant temperature.
3) Soil was placed in a glass container (8 cm in diameter, 6 cm in height)
at a depth of about 4 cm. Subsequently, in the container, termites
(Reticulitermes speratus, 200 workers and 4 soldiers) were placed and then
the timber strips (one each of Pseudotsuga taxifolia and Tsuga
diversifolia) soaked with the test sample were horizontally placed one by
one. The container was allowed to stand for 21 days to rear the termites.
(2) Results of the Test
Observation was made to examine after rearing for 21 days whether the wood
strips were suffered from damage caused by the termites or not. The
results are shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3
______________________________________
Sample Damage observed
______________________________________
Control Severe damage
Lauryldimethylamine Entirely no damage
tetraborate
______________________________________
As demonstrated above, the compound of the present invention has
alkyldimethylamine tetraborate or the hydrate thereof as an effective
component, exerts less toxicity to humans and animals thus effectively
preserve timber against the decay and termite damage.
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